


Hands On (2009)

by JennyB



Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Caring, Community: 30kisses, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Slice of Life, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-02
Updated: 2009-03-02
Packaged: 2018-07-12 08:45:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7094896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennyB/pseuds/JennyB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hakkai is at the mercy of a crippling migraine, and finds relief from an unlikely source.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hands On (2009)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the LJ community 30kisses, prompt#22 - 'cradle'

He wanted to curl up and die. He felt nauseous, and if he didn't know any better, he'd swear there was a jackhammer drilling into his skull. He was no stranger to headaches, and he was used to migraines, but it had been a while since he'd had one this bad. This particular one had come on mid-afternoon, and had grown progressively worse throughout the day. He'd only managed a half-bowl of broth for dinner – not that the others had noticed what he'd eaten as Gojyo and Goku were engaged in their usual squabbling over dishes, and Sanzo had been more concerned with making sure his own meal wasn't pilfered as the chopsticks flew furiously. It had been particularly taxing for him as he'd tried to get everything settled for the evening. Of course, that had been par for the course – Sanzo had been demanding, wanting coffee and a clean ashtray as he'd read his paper. Gojyo had been messy, managing to spread magazines, wet towels and half-empty cans from one end of the room to the other. And Goku had whined about being hungry and asking for a bedtime snack. Still, he'd managed to paste a smile onto his face as he'd tidied the room, emptied the ashtrays, picked up the trash, poured the coffee, and whipped up the equivalent to a small meal – all while managing to miraculously not toss his guts in the process. Now, the remainder of the evening was his, and he was going to try to get some sleep and hope he woke up feeling better.

He'd just brushed his teeth and changed into sleep pants and a Henley when there was a knock at his door. Leaving his glasses off, he went to answer it, only to arch a brow when he saw who was there. "Sanzo! What are you – er, was there something you needed?"

"After you left, it was like the idiot meter got turned all the way up. I can't think in there, let alone read, so I told the two assholes I was going for a drink. So, let's go. The bar's waiting."

"Oh, uh..." Hakkai smiled weakly as his stomach protested the very idea. "Ha ha, that's rather kind of you, Sanzo, but I'm already dressed for bed, so –"

The blond smirked. "I thought you might be. So that's why I brought the bar to you." He pulled a six-pack of Asahi from behind his back, one already missing from the rings. "I swear, those two are making me stupid. I need some form of intelligent conversation before my brain starts oozing out my ears."

"Ah, I see," the healer replied with a sheepish chuckle. "Well, we wouldn't want that to happen, ne?" he added as he graciously invited the other inside, trying to mask the stab of pain he felt in his temples when the monk scraped his chair across the wood floor. "So, what would you like to talk about?" he asked as he gingerly sat down across from his friend and fought the urge to cradle his throbbing head in his hands.

Sanzo didn't immediately reply. Instead, he pulled two cans free and opened them, pushing one over to Hakkai while he took a healthy draught from the other. "You," he said finally, the violet eyes staring intently at the youkai.

"Me?" Hakkai echoed incredulously, and when his sensitive nose caught the scent of the beer in front of him, he was unable to suppress the brief shudder or the wince of revulsion.

The blond smirked when he saw the other's reaction, and after finishing off the remainder of his can, he said, "Yeah, you. What's the matter?"

"There's nothing wrong with me," the brunet replied as he tried to discretely keep his stomach from flipping.

"Bullshit." With that, Sanzo picked up the beer that sat in front of Hakkai and took a swig. "You might have those other two morons fooled, but I'm not stupid. Besides, I've never known you to be put off by beer – at least, not usually."

The dark-haired male barely managed to hold back his sigh of relief at having the can moved. "It really is nothing to worry about. I just had...have a bit of a headache. Migraine. I'll be fine."

"Hn. You should have said something earlier. We could have got you something for it."

Hakkai smiled a little. "You know as well as I do that it wouldn't have helped me. Any relief I think I feel is all just psychosomatic, anyway. I just need a little time to recover on my own. I'm...mostly used to it, really. I usually have one in some form or another nearly daily, because of my eyes. Some days are just worse than others, and I –"

"Hakkai?" the blond interrupted. "Shut up. You're rambling." He chuckled lowly when the other promptly shut his mouth, and then he drank the rest of his beer in silence. When he was finished, he got up and went into the bathroom, returning a few minutes later with the ice bucket full of hot water, a facecloth, and a towel. Setting those items down on the table, he dipped the cloth and rang it out before folding it in half, twice. Moving behind the brunet, he tipped his head back and brushed his bangs back with one hand before laying the facecloth over his eyes with the other. Then, he narrowed his gaze a little as he attempted to call up a memory. Letting out a pleased sound when he remembered, he cradled the brunet's head carefully in his hands and began to rub Hakkai's temples with his fingertips, his thumbs moving just behind his ears to massage there.

Hakkai inhaled sharply at the gentle touches, his posture relaxing a little as the blond's massage started to ease the pressure in his head. "Sanzo, this is all very kind of you, but you really don't have to bother, you know."

"I thought I told you to shut up," the priest replied, his voice lacking the usual acerbic tone. "I don't want to hear you bitching tomorrow about why we have to delay because _you_ don't feel well."

At that, the brunet sat up straight again and pulled the cloth from his eyes, wincing a little at the sudden brightness. "I wouldn't do that!" he replied earnestly. "If I remember right, the only time I've _ever_ held us back was when I had that terrible cold."

"In that case, I don't want you to drive us off of a cliff because you couldn't concentrate."

"Sanzo," Hakkai said gravely as he looked up at the other. "You know that I take the safety of our group very seriously. I would never knowingly endanger any of your lives by doing something so very reckless."

The blond arched a brow as he listened to the healer, and then, he laughed. Not a condescending sneer, or a brief snort of amusement, but a true laugh – one that seemed to reach his eyes and make the violet sparkle. "Hakkai...fuck, you're such an idiot sometimes. Just...shut up." He smiled then. A small, but genuine smile. "Look, don't make me say it, 'kai."

The brunet frowned a little in confusion, only to have both brows shoot up in surprise a moment later. A soft smile curved his own mouth upwards, and dropping his gaze, he dunked the facecloth in the bucket and rang it out again before putting it back over his eyes. He understood.

"Hn..." Sanzo smirked, even though Hakkai couldn't see him, and he was silently pleased that the other was indulging him without making a big deal out of the action. Without another word, he returned to his task, taking his time to ease as much of the tension as he could. He knew he'd been successful when he saw the small furrow at the healer's brow recede, and he carried on with his ministrations for a few minutes more. When he was finished, he dropped his hands to his side, then went around to the other side of the table, sat down, and opened another beer. When he lowered the can, he saw that Hakkai had removed the cloth. "I suppose it's stupid to hope I got rid of it completely?"

"It's not stupid to be hopeful, Sanzo. And no, it's not completely gone, but it's manageable. Thank you." He placed the folded cloth on the edge of the bucket. "May I ask where you learned that?"

The blond shrugged. "Something I picked up when I was a kid. My master was always teaching me things like that. Some of it has even been useful from time to time." He finished off his beer, gathered up his empties and the remaining two cans, and with a nod, he got to his feet and went to the door. "Later."

"Sanzo, wait." Hakkai followed him to the door, a hesitant smile settling on his face. He worried his lower lip with his teeth for a moment, and then he leaned over and pressed a brief, light kiss to Sanzo's forehead, the gesture carrying no more weight than the brush of a butterfly's wings. Nervously, he straightened, knowing full well that the other could shoot him for his actions just as easily as he could accept it. "Thank you...for caring. Good night."

The blond frowned when Hakkai moved into his personal space, the expression morphing into a scowl at the kiss, but after a moment, Sanzo's forehead relaxed, and he even managed a smile. "Good night," he replied, a hint of forced gruffness in his voice. "And if you mention _any_ of this to the others, I will kill you."

"Of course," Hakkai said softly, and after seeing Sanzo out into the corridor, he turned off the light and crawled into bed. He still ached and felt a little nauseous, but despite all that, when he closed his eyes, he smiled.


End file.
